Repercussion
by adromir
Summary: When a routine raid goes horribly wrong, Steve is the one left to blame. And certain people wants him to pay. Dearly. A Steve whump, of course.
1. Chapter 1

**SUMMARY: When a routine raid goes horribly wrong, Steve is the one left to blame. And certain people wants him to pay. **_**Dearly**_**. A Steve whump, of course.**

**A/N: This particular LOD story takes place after Season 5. A bit of warning, though. The repercussion may not be to your liking.**

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It was a Friday night, a night when the officers from AC-12 would usually gather at their favorite pub after a tough week at work to share a few pints among them. Tonight was different, though. There were no AC-12 officers in sight, except for DS Steve Arnott who sat alone at one corner, nursing a tall glass of what his gaffer would call a cat's piss.

It was one of Steve's worst days of his career. A routine raid on an isolated industrial estate near Derby had gone horribly wrong. Instead of apprehending the OCG connected to an arms dealing ring, they had discovered that the target buildings were completely empty. To make things worse, the main building where they initially thought was the OCG headquarters had been booby-trapped with explosives.

In the end, two AFOs were dead and three badly wounded. Several AC-12 officers managed to escape with minor injuries, including Steve. He got a long scrape to his elbow after being knocked down to the ground when the first explosive detonated. Luckily, he and his fellow AC-12 officers had been standing clear out of the explosives' direct hit, but the AFOs who was the first team to breach into the building had received the full blast head on.

Steve knew he was to be responsible for the entire fiasco. It was him that had suggested the raid on the industrial estate following the intel given by the CHIS who had been contacting him during the last previous week. Several information fed by the CHIS previously had been rock solid, which helped AC-12 to unravel the mysterious network of this particular OCG. The AC-12 was also getting closer to nick the high ranking police officer who had been in cohort with the dark operations from the very beginning.

However, Steve had never suspected that the latest intel was merely a lure for the police force to walk into a deadly trap. The CHIS, a UCO who simply called himself Benny, had been misleading him the entire time. In truth Benny was a bent copper who was playing for both sides. A triple agent.

Steve felt like a fool for his total naiveté. On top of that, he felt guilty as hell. Two lives were lost and several dedicated police officers were injured because he had trusted the wrong man.

In the aftermath, it was as if a dark cloud had come looming over the AC-12 headquarters. The entire workforce had become dejected and edgy. Tempers were high among the senior officers, especially Superintendent Ted Hastings. Naturally, Steve had been at the receiving end of the gaffer's wrath. Unlike his usual self where he would retort his own defense whenever Hastings reamed him out, Steve had simply stood still without uttering a single word. And that had angered the gaffer even more.

"Go on! Get out! And take this with you!" Hastings had shouted, throwing the folder containing the case report back at Steve. It landed near his feet, papers strewn everywhere. "And don't show your face to me until you get this sorted, you understand? Now get out!"

Schooling his features so that his true emotions wouldn't show, Steve had calmly bent over to gather all the papers before he walked out of the gaffer's room. Outside, his fellow co-workers were openly staring at him, some even sent him accusing glares. He had ignored them all as he returned to his desk where DI Kate Fleming then accosted him.

"Well? Don't you have anything to say?" she had asked him in a low voice, her face a cool mask.

"What is there left to say, ma'am?" he had replied, "We've lost two lives. Nothing I say will bring them back. But I claim responsibility on the whole mess. The intel came through me from Benny. I should've vetted through his background more diligently."

"Yes, you should have," Kate hissed back in frustration. "And this thing you called a mess is actually a disaster. It's John Corbett all over again, Steve. You were supposed to tell me the first time Benny contacted you. But, no. You kept it to yourself for days. If you had come to me earlier, we could have done a thorough research on him and we might have discovered Benny's true intent."

"Ma'am, I've gone through all this with the gaffer. He basically told me the same thing. You can't make me feel any worse than I am now."

Kate had given him a hard stare when she said next, "I had to personally deliver the news to two poor women about their husbands who just died in the line of duty. The only thing I didn't tell them was that this incident could have been avoided if the officer responsible had done his job properly. Feel any worse now?"

It was as if an arrow had struck Steve straight in the heart, those words hurt him that much. However, he had said nothing in response and just watched silently as his partner walked quickly away.

Afterwards, he had spent hours compiling the reports of the disastrous raid. By the time he had finished, it was already past 8.00 in the evening and everyone else had left for home. Not even a single person had uttered any word to him. He couldn't help feeling like a pariah. Outside, the wonderful summer day had already turned dark and gloomy, befitting his mood.

Feeling utterly miserable, Steve raised his beer glass and downed the entire content. He then closed his eyes as he tried to erase the memory of the upsetting scenes at the industrial estate, but it kept replaying in his mind. The loud explosions, the force of the blast. Worst of all, the bleeding bodies on the ground.

Not knowing what else to do to lessen the heavy feeling, he decided to just return home. To his empty flat, to his empty bed, accompanied by his empty heart.

Nodding his goodbye to the barkeep, Steve got off the stool and walked towards the exit. He fished out his mobile phone to call for Owen Jones, the taxi driver who had driven him home for years every time he went out for a drink at the pub. He had left his service vehicle at the AC-12 headquarters earlier, thinking that he would be too drunk to drive afterwards. That was not the case now, however. After one glass of beer, he was still fully sober. Or at least sober enough to remember every detail of the disastrous thing that had transpired during the day that he felt like weeping.

Outside the pub, Steve stood on the sidewalk as he waited for Owen's taxi to arrive. His mind was meandering elsewhere, not giving any attention to his immediate surroundings. And that was his biggest mistake. He didn't suspect any foul play when a black van slowed to a stop at the curb, not until three men wearing balaclavas stormed out of the van and converged around him.

Before Steve could react, he was suddenly grabbed from behind, pinning his arms to the sides. Someone clamped a hand over his mouth, smothering his cries of protest as they dragged him towards the van. He kicked and jabbed with all his might but a hard fist clouted him upside the head, stunning him to a daze. The next thing he knew, he was harshly thrown into the van.

"What the hell?" Steve angrily cried out loud as the van sped away with its tyres squealing.

"Shut up!" One of the men growled in response with a flying fist. It hit Steve square in the temple, causing him to see stars. Undeterred though, he slammed his own fist against the man's nose.

"Fuck! The son of a bitch broke my fucking nose!" the man cried out in anguish, grabbing his face. The other two men instantly reacted with full aggression. All Steve could do was cover his head as they rained down kicks and punches on him.

The thrashing went on for a full minute, but to Steve it felt like eternity until the van suddenly braked to a stop. The men quickly grabbed hold of his arms and legs before chucking him out. He rolled several times before landing onto his back.

Through his bleary vision, Steve stared at the dark sky. There were no clouds tonight, so the stars were in abundance, twinkling merrily like jewels against a black velvet. And then the beautiful sight was completely blocked by the four dark clad figures surrounding him.

"Who are you? What do you want?" he managed to ask with panting breath, close to losing consciousness. "Why…are you doing this?"

"Why? Because of you, two of our mates died today!" one of his attackers finally spoke.

Steve's blood instantly ran cold.

_Their dead mates? The two AFOs? Jesus Christ. These men are all police?_

"You useless cocky son of a bitch!" the other man shouted. "You think you're Anti-Corruption you can get away with it? Eat my boot first, you bastard!"

And then they started kicking him again. Steve had to hunch over as their booted feet pummeled all over his torso without mercy. Some even landed on his head that he went in and out consciousness several times.

When they finally stopped, Steve lay sprawled at their feet, coughing up blood. Still, he forced himself to defiantly look up at them. "This…will not bring them back…alive. You're making…a big mistake…"

"No matter. It's done," said the tallest of them all. "This will be a lesson to you, son. Your negligence has cost lives. Do us all a favor and quit AC-12."

"Don't…tell me…what to do…" Steve hissed back as he held his injured side.

"Stubborn, aren't you?" The man scoffed. He then gestured at his friends. "Let's go, guys. He gets the message."

The men walked back towards the van, but one of them stayed behind and continued to glare down at Steve.

The tall man called out, "Hey, Mac. Let's go!"

_Mac? Now that was a stupid mistake_, Steve thought. _They shouldn't have mentioned names because I can find out who they all are._

From the way his eyes were drawing to a slit, Mac noticed the mistake too. Instead of correcting his mate, Mac leaned closer to Steve. "The dead AFOs, one of them is my best friend. He's like a brother to me. And you kill him!"

"I'm sorry he died…but I didn't kill him…" Steve said. "It was an unfortunate incident due to a miscommunication—"

"You kill him!" Mac screamed, "And you're gonna pay!"

"Mac? Come on, man. That's enough," the three other men were saying, but Mac didn't seem to be listening. Instead, he grabbed Steve's belt buckle to undo it before pulling down the zipper of Steve's pants.

"Hey, Mac. What are you doing, man?"

Steve began to shake with fear. He didn't know what Mac intended to do, but he understood that it was nothing good. With the remaining of his strength, he frantically shoved the man away. But Mac was bigger and more muscular. He easily flipped Steve onto his stomach before yanking down his pants and boxer briefs.

"Mac! Stop it!"

And then the tearing pain came. It was so sudden and sharp that Steve couldn't stop himself from crying out. While Mac repeatedly jerked against him, Steve bit his lip as he desperately groped about on the ground, searching for any object that he could turn into a weapon. His hand suddenly made contact with a small rock. He quickly grabbed the rock and slammed it backward, feeling great satisfaction when it connected with Mac's face.

Mac broke away with a cry, holding his bruised jaw. Growling with rage, Mac took the rock and slammed it against Steve's temple. Steve crumpled to the ground, unconscious. Mac raised the rock to hit him again but strong arms quickly grabbed him.

"That's enough! You're gonna kill him!"

"He deserves to die," Mac shot back, shrugging off their arms.

"No, he doesn't! He's a police too, Mac. He's one of us," said the tall guy who then stared in dismay at Steve's lifeless body. "Shit, Mac. What have you done?"

"Justice. He fucked with us, I fucked him back."

"This is not justice," one of them cried out. "This is madness, Mac!"

Another man was shaking his head. "Yeah, I agree with Ned. I think we've gone too far. I thought we just wanted to scare him, that's all."

"Our friends died because of him!" Mac shouted. "So we just sit back and let him go unpunished?"

"Who are we to punish him? We're police officers. We're not juries and judges. Besides, he's just a cop who got his information wrong."

Mac stared at his friends in disbelief. "Then what the hell are we doing here in the first place?"

"I don't know, man. I just don't know anymore."

"Come on, guys. Let's get out of here before anyone finds out," the tall man said, rushing back towards the van.

"What? And leave him like this? He would die," the man called Ned said, his eyes widening in horror. He never thought that things would quickly get out of hand. They hadn't plan it to turn out this way.

"Move it, Ned! Come on!" the tall man shouted from the van.

After a brief hesitation, Ned gave Steve a last glance before he ran towards the van which then left the scene like a bat out of hell.

Silence reigned afterwards, except for the occasional sound of chirping crickets from the nearby bushes. Slowly, a stout figure emerged from the shadows. It crept forward towards the prone body, cautiously looking to the left and right.

Kneeling down beside Steve, Owen Jones the taxi driver instantly broke down in despair. "Oh, lord…great lord...Sarge, what have they done to you?"

Owen had just turned around the corner into the street of the pub, just in time to see those men drag Steve into the van. Against his better judgement, the taxi driver had discreetly followed the van for a couple of miles towards an abandoned carpark behind a shoe factory that had long closed down. Parking his taxi out of sight, Owen had crept along the shadows towards their voices. The awful things he had witnessed in the carpark had turned his stomach that he nearly lost his dinner.

Trembling, Owen reached over to place the back of his hand against Steve's nose. When he felt the soft whisper of exhaling air, he sighed out loud with relief.

"Thank God…Oh, thank God!" Owen quickly took out his mobile phone to dial triple nine. "Hang on, Sarge. Please hang on. I'm getting you some help. You'll be fine. Just hang on, son."

As he reported the incident to the dispatcher, Owen had to look away from Steve's battered body; the left eye that was swollen shut, the large bump on his temple, his bleeding nose and lips. And most of all, he had to look away from the blood pooling between Steve's bare thighs. Instead, Owen carefully picked up one of Steve's limp hands. Mindful of the bloodied knuckles, he gripped it gently.

Owen was still holding on to it when an ambulance and several police cars arrived amidst blaring sirens and flashing lights minutes later.

**TO BE CONTINUED…**

**A/N: Stay tuned for the next chapter.**

"**If loss of life can be avoided, it should be avoided." – DS Steve Arnott.**

**.**

*** ****ABBREVIATIONS****:**

**AC - Anti Corruption**

**AFO - Authorized Firearms Officer**

**CHIS - Covert Human Intelligence Source**

**DI - Detective Inspector**

**DS - Detective Sergeant**

**OCG - Organized Crime Group**

**UCO - Undercover Officer**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hi, y'all. Here's a new chapter.**

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The moment Kate stepped into the office the next morning, she instantly knew that something was wrong. Her fellow co-workers were looking at her expectantly with grave expressions.

Glancing at Superintendent Hastings' office, Kate saw no sign of her superior there. Frowning, she turned to the nearest officer who happened to be PC Tatleen Sohota, whose eyes were red as if she had been crying.

"What's going on? Where's the gaffer?"

Tatleen swallowed hard before answering, "Superintendent Hastings is at the hospital, ma'am."

"What?" Kate instantly grew concerned. "Is something wrong with him?"

"Not the gaffer, ma'am. It's DS Arnott."

Kate's eyes widened. "What happened to Steve?"

Tatleen hesitated. "They've been trying to call you, ma'am. Since last night. But they couldn't get through."

Quickly, Kate took out her mobile phone. She winced as she remembered that she failed to charge it when she got home yesterday, and now the battery was dead. "Shit."

Turning back to Tatleen, she asked, "Tell me. What's wrong with Steve? What happened?"

Kate's face drained of all colors after Tatleen finished telling her. Without another word, she dashed back to the elevator. Minutes later, she was on her way towards the local medical center where Steve was currently receiving treatment.

As Kate hurried down the corridor that led to the ICU wards, she couldn't help feeling a sense of déjà vu. She had been through this situation before, rushing towards her injured partner after he had gotten involved in some kind of predicament. It never ends, not with Steve. He always got himself into troubles, one after the other. Either he was the unluckiest bastard in the world or he stupidly went looking for trouble himself.

Turning around the corner, Kate instantly noticed Superintendent Hastings standing outside an ICU ward, talking on the phone. The moment he saw her, he instantly disconnected and gave her his full attention.

"Kate. They told me you just found out about Steve."

"Sorry, sir. My phone, it's…" Kate shook her head. "Never mind. How's Steve?"

Nudging his chin at the direction of the doorway of the ICU ward, Hastings said, "See for yourself."

Kate peered inside. She almost broke down and cried to see her partner lying frail in the bed, attached to various kinds of tubes and wires. Colorful bruises covered his white face, his left eye and lower lip swollen. His temple sported a large bandage, while more bandages were wrapped around his right hand.

Currently, Steve wasn't alone. Two officers from the Major Violent Crime Unit were attentively listening as he gave his statements to them, his voice weak and raspy.

"Steve just woke up a couple hours ago," Hastings explained, "And the MVCU has taken over. For now."

Kate was itching to get to her partner's side but she held herself back, not until she got the entire story from the gaffer. "Tatleen told me that Steve was brutally attacked by a group of people last night, and that someone found him near an abandoned shoe factory."

"Yes, he was found by a taxi driver named Owen Jones."

"_Owen_?"

The gaffer looked at her. "Why, do you know him?"

"Yes, I do, sir. I've met him. Owen is Steve's designated driver every time he goes out for a drink. He has been driving Steve around for years."

Hastings seemed surprised to hear that. "Anyway, Mr. Owen Jones is also the only witness. He saw everything. He has already given his statement to the SIO on scene. From what I found out, there were four men wearing balaclavas who assaulted Steve. They grabbed him in front of the pub and took him away in a van. Mr. Jones followed them in his taxi, and then he saw how they roughed Steve up as if they've all gone berserk!"

Sighing, Kate closed her eyes as she involuntarily pictured the scene. "Jesus Christ…"

"And Kate, that's not all."

She reopened her eyes and turned fully to the gaffer. "What is it, sir?"

For once, Hastings showed great hesitation. "When Steve was first brought in here, he was in really bad shape. They even had to run a rape kit on him."

Kate's felt a sense of dread. "Sir, what are you trying to say?"

"Besides the wounds from the beatings, they also found injuries related to sexual assault."

Her face instantly paled at that. "_No_…God damn it!"

Shaking his head, Hastings simply watched as Kate walked to and fro within the same spot to release her frustration. When she turned back to him, her eyes were swimming with unshed tears.

"How is he, sir?" Kate asked, trying hard not to cry. "How is Steve doing now?"

"The doctor said Steve is going to pull through, given time. He suffered some bruises and contusions. A concussion. Two broken ribs. A bruised kidney. He's a strong lad and all, but…"

"But what, sir?"

"The doctor also thinks Steve suffers from what they call a…a transient global amnesia. He has memory loss, whether from his head injury or his traumatic experience. Either way, Steve can't even remember what happened to him."

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Soon afterwards, the two officers from the Major Violent Crime Unit finally came out of Steve's ward.

"He can't remember much," said DCI Howard Wilson with a rueful shake of his head. "The last thing he recalls was having a pint at the pub, and that's it. After that, it's all blank."

Hastings nodded. "Any other leads you have to further investigate on this?"

"The taxi driver's statement is the only essential thing we have right now. But my team is currently going through all the CCTVs and ANPR cameras of the surrounding areas. Hopefully something else will come up soon."

"Inform us if you need any help, DCI Wilson. We're more than happy to assist."

"Thank you, sir. And if DS Arnott starts to remember anything…"

"We will inform you, of course."

As the two officers left, Hastings and Kate exchanged knowing looks before together they walked inside to see Steve, who gave them a feeble smile.

"Sir. Hey, Kate."

"Hi, Steve." Somehow, Kate managed to put on a reassuring smile for her partner. She reached out to squeeze his uninjured hand. "How are you doing?"

Steve wearily shrugged. "Not good, obviously. I don't know how I got here. I can't even remember what happened."

"Don't worry too much, son," Hastings said. "Leave it to the MVCU to investigate. They are looking into this matter very seriously. All you need to do now is get better, yeah?"

"Yes, sir." Steve took a deep breath and instantly grabbed his injured ribs with a low groan. "They said I was attacked…by a group of people."

Kate nodded. "Yes. There were four of them. You can't remember any of it?"

"No." Steve shook his head. "They also said that Owen found me…and he called for help. Is he alright?"

Kate turned to Hastings for clarification, to which Hastings said, "Yes. Mr. Owen Jones is a vital witness, so they are placing armed guards around his home for his safety. He is well protected."

"That's good." Steve leaned back and closed his eyes. "I wish I could remember what happened."

_No! I prefer that you don't!_

Kate almost cried out. Instead, she bit her lower lip as she squeezed his hand harder. "Just try to get better, mate. It's alright if you can't remember."

Steve weakly rolled his head on the pillow to look straight at her. "Kate, why are you crying?"

"What?" She angrily wiped the lone tear off her cheek. "I'm not. Don't be daft."

"Okay."

Turning to the gaffer, Kate then asked. "Has someone told Steve's parents?"

"Yes, our parents have been notified. I'm here on their behalf."

Both Kate and Hastings turned around at the new voice. They found a tall hard looking man standing in the doorway wearing a dark expression.

"Shane?" Kate was surprised.

"Hello again, Kate." Nodding at her, the man walked closer to the bed and his gaze instantly softened. Giving Steve's blanketed feet an affectionate squeeze, Shane said, "Hey, Stevie. Looks like you've landed in hot water again."

Steve merely smirked in response. "Piss of."

Smiling, Shane then turned to face Hastings. "I'm Steve's older brother."

"Sir, this is Major Shane Arnott," Kate quickly made the introductions. "Shane, Superintendent Ted Hastings."

Hastings and Shane shook hands.

"A pleasure, sir."

"Likewise." Hastings nodded, staring at Shane in wonder before he asked Kate, "Have you two met before?"

"Yes. Twice." She nodded, giving Shane a telling glance to which Shane said, "DI Fleming, do you mind if I have a word with you outside?"

At Hastings' brief nod of consent, Kate replied, "Of course."

With a slight frown, Hastings watched as the two walked out of the room. He then took a seat by Steve's bed. "I know you have a brother, Steve. But only now I find out his name. He's in the army?"

"Yes, sir. SAS. He mostly deploys overseas," Steve said, hiding the fact that Shane was also currently attached to MI-5.

"Hmm. Real impressive."

Steve grinned. "Just don't let him hear you say that, sir. His head is big enough as it is."

Hastings chuckled, and then he turned quiet. "Steve, you can't recall what happened to you last night, but I think you still remember what transpired during the day."

Suddenly Steve had troubles looking straight at his gaffer. "I know, sir. The botched raid. I'm awfully sorry it turned out that way."

"No, no, son. I'm not talking about the raid," Hastings said hastily. "It's what happened afterwards. In my office."

Steve blinked when comprehension dawned on him. "Oh. _That_."

"Yeah." Hastings grimly nodded. "Look, Steve. I was way out of line yesterday. Throwing that file at your face…that was totally uncalled for. I wasn't being fair, treating you like a lowlife simpleton. Despite everything that happened, no one can deny that you are a dedicated police officer, a brave and honest man. You're a valuable asset to AC-12, and you should be treated like one. I admit, I was behaving rather unprofessionally."

For several moments, Steve had nothing to say, stunned that he was by his gaffer's sincere admission. He felt a little embarrassed too. At last, he smiled reassuringly. "That's alright, sir. I have a thick skin."

Hastings looked closely at Steve, and broke into soft laughter. "Yes, you do have that, you silly wee gobshite. That you do."

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Shane led the way until they reached the end of the corridor where the wall was made of glass.

Leaning against the wall, looking at the carpark below, Kate said, "You're pissed."

"Huh." Shane scoffed, his arms crossed over his chest. "How can you even tell?"

"When it comes to your brother, you're like an opened book. I admit, though. You have the rights to be pissed."

"No shit."

They spoke nothing for a full minute. And then, to break the uncomfortable silence, Shane said, "We got Benny."

Kate's head whipped around so fast she nearly had a whiplash. "_What_?"

"You heard me."

"But what do you have anything to do with Benny? And don't tell me it's a classified intel. I'm not a mushroom!"

Despite it all, Shane chuckled. "True. You're no mushroom, Kate. You're a rose. With thorns. Pretty to look at, but dangerous to hold."

"Don't flatter me."

"I'm just stating the truth."

"So? How do you know about Benny?"

Shane easily shrugged. "I'm not here in this area by coincidence. It's my AO too. We have been chasing Benny because he was once our CHIS. To cut it short, Benny has betrayed us in a recent ops a month ago, causing the lost of lives of some of our men. Unfortunately, before we realized what was going on, Benny later approached AC-12 via Steve, and did the same thing."

Kate shook her head. "What is Benny's intention exactly? Why did he do that? And for what? Money?"

"No. Benny is not in it for the money." Shane looked squarely at her. "He's a psychopath. He is clinically mentally ill."

That stumped her. "But we've gone through Benny's casefiles, over and over. There is no mention of the state of his mental condition anywhere whatsoever. Well, the info we have on him is sadly inadequate. We should have dug deeper."

"There's no point, Kate. You won't find anything. That's because there was no official medical assessment made. We were lucky to learn from his living cousin that Benny was once institutionalized in a mental health facility when he was a teenager after he slammed some cats by their tails against the wall. He was a juvenile at that time, so it never went into his record when he applied to become a copper."

Kate's mouth dropped open. "So…it's not Steve's fault after all. He would never find out about Benny's mental health condition because it is never recorded in the system."

"Precisely."

"Oh, shit." Truly shaken, Kate covered her mouth with her hand. "What the hell have I done?"

Shane frowned. "What do you mean?"

And then his eyes drew to a slit when he understood. "So, after all Steve has gone through, after everything that he has given, you still do not fully trust him."

"It's not like that!" Kate shot back. "I trust Steve with my life, and my son's life. There's no other person that I trust more."

They both glared at each other until Shane was the first to turn away. "Then what happened, Kate? What did you do?"

"I said something that I shouldn't. I was incredibly upset about what happened during the raid. I needed to lash out, and…Unfortunately, Steve was the easiest target."

With a shake of his head, he turned back around to face her. "I've warned you not to ever hurt him again."

"And I never gave you my promise that I won't," she defiantly said. "I'm a police officer, remember? I don't have time sparing people feelings while doing my job. And your brother is not a freaking pansy, Shane. He is a real tough one, maybe even tougher than you."

Seconds gone by before Shane finally broke into grins. "Even so, that silly kid is still afraid of lightning. And I don't."

Kate rolled her eyes. Talking to Steve's brother could be so exasperating sometimes. "Look, I'm sorry for what I said to Steve. I'll make it up to him. But there's the situation regarding Benny."

"My boss in the MI-5 will talk to your boss soon. Let the upper echelons think about it for a change. My main concern right now is my brother."

"Of course. The attack on Steve."

"Honestly, I'm not surprised if his attackers were actually police officers."

Kate's eyes widened. "What made you say that?"

Shane gave her a direct gaze. "I've talked to Steve's doctor. He explained to me the extent of Steve's injuries. I also know that he has been…"

He broke off and briefly closed his eyes in anguish before he quietly added, "The attack was very personal, Kate. Someone is truly angry with Steve, and I doubt it's the work of the OCG or any other career criminals."

When the realization dawned on Kate, she shook her head with a curse. "Jesus Christ…"

"I know it's not great to hear that some coppers would do such a thing to another copper, but it's a possibility that your team needs to check out, Kate."

Sighing, she nodded. "I know. Damn it, I know. I'll talk to the gaffer."

"Yes, do that. As for Steve, as soon as he is able to travel, I'm taking him home."

"We will place armed guards around Steve's flat for his safety."

"No, Kate. He will not be safe there. Not anymore. I'm taking him home to our family back in London, where he will be safest."

With that, Shane turned around to return to the ICU ward, leaving Kate standing there with her mouth dropped open.

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The next day was Sunday. Usually during weekends, Kate would spend the entire day with her son. But after the attack on Steve, she could hardly sit still and let other people do the investigation. When she brought up Shane's suggestion to Superintendent Hastings, the gaffer had agreed that AC-12 had the jurisdiction to determine whether Steve's attackers were indeed police officers. And so Kate had gone into the office and quickly organized a special team for the case.

Later in the afternoon after she had finished her shift, Kate drove straight to the hospital. She needed to talk to Steve real badly. She wanted to tell him about the ongoing investigation of his attack, and that they had reached a major breakthrough, thanks to Shane's idea. But most of all, she wanted to apologize to him.

After her long conversation with Shane the day before, Kate had returned to Steve's ward only to realize that he had drifted back to sleep.

"I'll stay and watch over him," Shane had said, firmly planting himself by the side of his brother's bed and looking very much like a papa bear guarding his cub.

Upon reaching the hospital, Kate directly went to the ICU ward. To her confusion however, the armed policemen were no longer standing guard at Steve's doorway. In fact, the bed now stood empty. Highly anxious, Kate immediately retraced her steps towards the nurse station to make inquiries.

"Hi, I'm DI Kate Fleming from the Central Police. The patient in the ICU ward number 3. Where is he?"

One of the nurses swiftly checked through her computer. "Steven David Arnott?"

"Yes, that's him."

"Um…from the record here, Mr. Arnott has been discharged about two hours ago."

Kate was shocked. "_What_? Are you sure?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"But his condition…He can't move around on his own, can he? Who was with him?"

"His discharge papers were signed by his next of kin, Mr. Shane Arnott."

_**-AC12AC12AC12AC12AC12-**_

Over a hundred kilometers away, a black Range Rover was moving down the M1 motorway in the direction of the city of London. Behind the wheel, Shane Arnott glanced at his brother who sat next to him.

With the seat reclining back, Steve huddled under his big brother's thick overcoat. He was deeply asleep. The painkiller he had taken before leaving the hospital was still working like a charm.

Assured that his brother would continue to sleep until they reached their destination, Shane stepped down on the gas and the powerful vehicle smoothly shot forward with a mighty roar.

**TO BE CONTINUED…**

**A/N: Stay tuned for the next chapter.**

"**I disappointed you, sir. Sometimes I disappointed myself." – DS Steve Arnott to Superintendent Hastings.**

**.**

*** ****ABBREVIATIONS****:**

**AC - Anti Corruption**

**AFO - Authorized Firearms Officer**

**ANPR - Automatic Number Plate Recognition**

**AO - Area of Operations**

**CHIS - Covert Human Intelligence Source**

**DCI - Detective Chief Inspector**

**DI - Detective Inspector**

**DS - Detective Sergeant**

**ICU - Intensive Care Unit**

**OCG - Organized Crime Group**

**MVCU - Major Violent Crime Unit**

**SAS - Special Air Service**

**SIO - Senior Investigating Officer**

**UCO - Undercover Officer**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Here's the finale, guys. Enjoy…or not. **

_**-AC12AC12AC12AC12AC12-**_

_One month later…_

Kate had never felt so anxious in her life.

It was her first experience to Exeter. Driving through the ancient city, she had to fully rely on her car's satnav to find her way to Ashford Estate where Earl Ashford and his family resided.

It was approaching noon. She had been on the road for over three hours after leaving the hotel she overnighted in London. The previous day, she had driven straight from the office to Steve's family home, expecting to see him there. But that wasn't to be the case however. After a bit of cajoling, his parents had finally relented and told Kate about Steve's current whereabouts.

"He is staying at the _manor_?" Kate had been surprised when she learnt that.

"Yes." Steve's mom had confirmed with a nod. "Shane directly took him there since the day he left the hospital. My uncle, the earl, insisted."

A real private person, Steve rarely divulged. And so Kate had never known that his mother was the granddaughter of an earl until Shane had disclosed it to her only recently. The current earl's residence, affectionately called as the manor by the Arnotts, was obviously what Shane thought as the safest place for his younger brother to recuperate.

Since the day she last saw her partner in the hospital, Kate had not been able to contact him. Steve's mobile phone was broken during the attack, and he had never got in touch with her or even the gaffer. Apart from that, the matters regarding his extended medical leave had been fully arranged through the human resource department. It was as if Steve desired to distance himself from work, or from AC-12 in particular.

Kate fully understood his situation, but she couldn't help but feel real concerned. Her partner, her best mate, was hiding himself away from the rest of the world for some wrongs he thought he had committed.

After a month of total silence from him, she knew it was time for her to do something. She must see him personally, even if she had to break down a fortress to do so.

And so here she was, turning her Audi into the Ashford Estate's private lane before stopping next to the security booth, right in front of the gilded gate which bore the seal of the Ashford earldom. Thanks to the call that Steve's mom had made to the countess the night before, the security personnel had been notified of Kate's arrival. Upon receiving clearance, the gate was swung open for her and she drove down a long driveway that was flanked by vast lawn on each side. And then she caught sight of the manor. It was so huge and exceptionally beautiful that her mouth dropped open.

"Jesus Christ…" she breathed out in wonder. "What the hell have I gotten myself into?"

Kate's heart was rapidly beating like a drum as she pulled over in front of the main entrance of the manor. At the opened doorway, an elderly yet elegant woman already stood waiting with a smile. She came forward the moment Kate exited her car.

"DI Kate Fleming? Steve's mom informed me of your arrival. I'm Lady Ashford."

At first, Kate didn't know whether to bow or bob a curtsy. But the countess saved the day by reaching over to shake her hand.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, milady."

"Likewise, DI Fleming. Or shall I call you Kate?"

"Kate is fine."

"Come, let's get you inside," said the countess, leading the way into the manor. "That must be a long trip for you to come here, Kate. You might be in need of refreshments. Would you like some tea or coffee?"

"I'm alright. Thank you, milady."

As she was led deeper into the manor, Kate couldn't resist admiring the lavish interior; the shining marble floor, the huge double staircase in the foyer, the artful chandeliers hanging from the high ceiling, the intricate gilded railings along the corridor above stairs. It was incredibly breathtaking. She had never been inside a house so luxurious.

"Steve has gone riding with the earl. They'll be returning any minute now," the countess said as she showed Kate into a sitting room. The glass windows around the room gave a panoramic view of the manor's huge backyard.

Kate blinked. Did she hear that right? "I'm sorry, milady. _Riding_?"

"Horse riding," the elder woman explained, settling down on a sofa. "You didn't know Steve can ride?"

Shaking her head, Kate also took her seat on an identical sofa opposite the countess. "That is among the few things that Steve never tells me. Shane once said that his younger brother is like an onion. You need to peel layers upon layers to get to his core."

"Aye, that's true." Lady Ashford laughed. "I understand that you and Steve are partners?"

"Yes, milady. We've been working together for eight years now."

"Are you two close?"

Kate smiled. "More or less. We're best mates."

"Then I think he needs you now more than ever." The countess sighed. "My husband and I are really worried about him."

"Why is that so?"

"When Steve arrived here a month ago, he spent the first week mostly in bed recovering. When he got stronger, he bounced back to his usual self though he still doesn't talk much. Sometimes he would accompany my husband to some engagements in the city, or sometimes he would follow us to the race course," Lady Ashford said with a sad smile. "Our own children are fully grown and live with their families elsewhere. Steve's presence here is like a godsend to us lonely old couple."

Kate nodded her understanding.

"But, recently, Steve has grown awfully quiet," the countess continued. "Something is troubling him. I don't know what it is because he wouldn't tell me, and I hate to pry. I'm worried that he might fall into depression. I am glad that his mother called me last night and said that you're coming. I really hope that you can help our Stevie."

"Actually, I want to thank you for letting me into your household, milady," Kate said. "I've been worried about Steve too. I haven't heard from him since he was discharged from the hospital, and I'm dying to know how he's doing. I also want to bring him up to date about the case regarding his attack. I just hope I won't make things worse for him after this."

"I'm sure he'll be happy to see you, Kate," said Lady Ashford. She then broke into wide smiles. "Ah, you hear that? They have returned."

Kate straightened up and cocked her ears. She finally heard the sound of approaching hoof beats accompanied by male voices conversing outside.

"Come, Kate," the countess beckoned her as she pushed open the sliding glass door that led into the backyard. "We didn't tell Steve that you're coming. Let's surprise him, shall we?"

_**-AC12AC12AC12AC12AC12-**_

Not suspecting anything, Steve pulled his trotting mount into a walk as they neared the manor. The old earl followed suit.

"That was a great ride, Stevie. Don't you think so?"

Steve smiled back. "Of course, Uncle. But you almost gave me a heart attack when you went for a full sprint just now. The countess would flay my hide if I've let you fall."

"Don't be silly. I'm old, but I'm not _that_ old. I'll never fall off a horse. I've been in the saddle since before I could walk!"

Steve chuckled, but his laughter quickly subsided when he noticed a familiar figure standing next to his great-aunt at the steps leading to the garden sitting room. His mouth dropped open.

"_Kate_?"

"Ah, your friend from work has arrived," the earl said with a knowing smile.

Steve turned to him in shock. "What, you knew she's coming?"

"Of course." Grinning, the elderly man instructed, "Introduce me to her."

Still confused, Steve nodded. "Yes, Uncle."

When they both dismounted, a stable hand immediately appeared to grab the reins before leading the horses away.

A bit uncertain, Steve turned to greet his partner. "Hi, Kate."

"Steve." She smiled back.

"This is a surprise. I didn't expect to see you here." Steve then remembered to make the introductions. "Uncle, this is DI Kate Fleming, my partner. Well, actually she's my boss. Ma'am, meet my great-uncle, Lord Ashford."

She shook hands with the earl. "A pleasure to meet you, milord."

"The pleasure is all mine," Lord Ashford graciously said. "You're Steve's boss? I'm sure you find him quite a handful."

"He has his moments." Kate agreed with amused smiles while Steve groaned out loud in protest.

The countess stepped forward to nudge her husband. "Come along, dear. Let's leave these two to catch up. Kate, you must stay for lunch."

"Oh, no, milady. I don't want to impose—"

"Nonsense. Stevie, make sure she stays afterwards, yes?"

"Of course, Auntie." Steve nodded. After the earl and the countess had disappeared into the manor, he fully turned to Kate. "It's good to see you, mate."

"Me too, mate." She slowly spun, drinking in the sight of the estate in great wonder. "I can't believe it, Steve. This place is amazing!"

Steve shrugged. "I guess so. Come on, I'll show you around."

As they began to walk, he asked her, "How did you find out I'm here?"

"Your parents told me. I wanted to ask Shane but I don't have his number. Frankly, though, I'm still mad at him."

"Why are you mad at him?"

"He played dirty by 'kidnapping' you from the hospital before I could even talk to you."

"Oh." Steve laughed. "That day, I was so doped up with painkillers I was barely aware of what was going on. The next thing I knew, I was already abed inside the manor and being tended to by the earl's personal physician."

"So they took real good care of you here?"

"Of course. I'm their favorite grandson." He grinned impishly, leading the way towards the grand stable. "Would you like to see the horses?"

"Sure. Why not?"

Along the way, she gave him a closer look. Her partner seemed a whole lot better than when she had seen him last. Wearing a dark pullover over a pair of blue jeans, Steve looked both casual and suave as he took her around the estate, explaining things that might be of interest to her. He was like a duck to water that it was kind of daunting to see him in such opulent surroundings, another side to him that she had never seen before.

When they stopped at the paddock to watch the horses graze, she asked, "All this while, I thought you came from a working class family."

Leaning against the wooden fence, he turned to her. "I did come from a working class family. My Mom used to be a primary school teacher, and my Da manages a business transporting race horses. They are just ordinary common folks. Want to know how they both met?"

And so Steve began to tell her a story that happened over forty years ago about a young driver who accidently backed his transport truck fully loaded with horses into the car that belonged to an earl's granddaughter at the racecourse in Ascot. The young man and the young lady had gotten into a heated argument, blaming each other for the accident. Not long afterwards they had met again at another racecourse, followed by more encounters at various unexpected places.

"Ever since they met, Mom and Da couldn't seem to escape each other," Steve said with a grin. "I guess they were destined to be together even though they came from different backgrounds and they hated each other at first."

Kate was smiling wide. "I'm glad that was the case, or they wouldn't have produced you."

"Yeah, so am I." He gestured at their surroundings. "This was my playground when I was a kid. In fact, I was born here, in that very old house. I came out too soon in the middle of a bloody thunderstorm. The main road was blocked by a fallen tree, so they couldn't get my mother to the hospital in time."

"Is that the reason why you're still so scared of lightning?"

His eyes widened. "Who told you that?"

"Shane."

Steve rolled his eyes. "Of course. Who else?"

There was a short silence until Kate asked, "How are you doing, mate? Really?"

"I'm better now. My injuries are fully healed."

"So what have you been doing all this time, besides riding the horses?"

"Oh, nothing much," he replied with a shrug. "I catch up on some reading. Go for a swim. Surf the Netflix."

"_Netflix_? Jesus. Don't tell me you've gone down the rabbit hole too."

His smile was sad. "Anything to take my mind off work."

There was another period of silence, longer this time. And then he quietly said, "I've remembered, Kate. I remember everything that happened."

Kate's heart sank. _Oh, no_…

Tentatively, she reached for his hand. "My God. Steve…"

"I'm alright," he assured her, "It's just that, I feel so….I don't know. It's hard for me to explain."

"I understand." Kate squeezed his hand harder to show him her support. She couldn't tell if Steve was still traumatized by what had been done to him, but he had always been able to hide many things from her, including his inner feelings.

"Just to let you know, we've apprehended your attackers. The case has been submitted to the CPS about two weeks ago, and the four of them will be prosecuted very soon."

"It makes no difference to me," he coolly said. "Terrible things already happened. I made a mistake and two fellow coppers were dead because of it."

"Steve, it was not your fault in the first place." She then told him the things she had learned from Shane about Benny, ending with, "You couldn't have known, mate."

When he didn't immediately respond, Kate moved closer to wrap an arm around his back. "I know I hurt you that day with what I said. I apologize."

He turned to look at her. "Kate, don't. It's all water under the bridge."

"Is it? I'm very sorry, Steve. I'm so, so sorry."

Finally, he smiled. "Don't worry, mate. It's in the past now. Besides, like I told the gaffer, I have a thick skin."

She returned his smile. "You know what? Everyone at the office misses you. _I_ miss you."

"Yeah, I bet." He grinned wider.

"You ever thought of returning to work soon?"

Steve went completely silent again before he softly said, "I don't know, Kate. I guess we shall see."

Putting an arm around her shoulders, he gathered her close and they continued to watch the grazing horses.

_**-AC12AC12AC12AC12AC12-**_

Almost a week after she had returned from Exeter, Kate sat in the gaffer's office to discuss about a case that she was currently investigating. A DCI from a police station in Derby had been reported to be involved in the smuggling of exotic animals throughout the city.

Superintendent Hastings was wide eyed as he went through the list of the said animals, looking more perplexed than ever before. "Hedgehogs, geckos, sugar gliders, capuchins, pythons…_Pythons_? Who the bloody hell keeps snakes at home?"

Mildly amused, Kate shrugged. "Some people do, sir. Exotic pets are quite the rage right now. My own son once kept a spider as pet."

He stared at her. "Mother of God…A spider?"

"I'm not talking about the black widow or tarantula, sir." She chuckled. "The spider was harmless. Just a wee one, in fact."

"What happened to it?"

"Our neighbor's cat ate it."

He made a face of disgust, causing her to laugh some more. Kate's laughter instantly died down when she noticed the sudden buzzing of excited voices outside the room. Frowning, she rose to her feet and walked to the door, followed closely by the gaffer. And then she saw him, halting her right on the spot.

Steve was standing in the middle of the workspace, calmly looking around him as everyone stared back at him in surprised awe. He looked immaculate in his three piece suit with a matching tie, his wingtips shoes polished to high shone. His beard had been neatly trimmed, and his hair was perfectly in place. Most importantly, he looked confident and sure with that slightly arrogant tip of the head that was so familiar to Kate.

Wordlessly, Steve walked forward until he stopped right in front of Hastings.

"DS Steve Arnott reporting for duty, sir," he said without hesitation, "If you'll have me."

For once, the gaffer was struck speechless. And then he slowly broke into smiles. "Well? What are you waiting for? The number fifteen bus? Get together with Kate on the double. There's a case about a bloody cat or something."

"A cat, sir?" Steve's eyebrows raised. "But I'm allergic to cats."

Hastings scoffed. "Good luck then. Go on. Get to it."

Steve couldn't help but smiled. _Some things would never change_.

"Thank you, sir."

Hastings reached over to squeeze his shoulder. "No, Steve. Thank _you_."

As Steve turned to head for his desk, the gaffer called out, "Steven?"

"Sir?"

"Welcome back, son."

"Yes, sir." He nodded his agreement. "It's good to be back."

The moment he reached his desk, Steve was immediately surrounded by his fellow co-workers. They were so delighted to see him that their keen attention caused him to blush.

"Look, I'm totally fine. No worries now," he had to repeatedly say in assurance when they kept asking him about the state of his health. When they finally left him alone, Steve sat down in front of his computer with a sigh of relief.

Almost immediately, Kate came near to place a mug of coffee on his desk. "Black, no sugar. As you like it."

He gave her an appreciative grin. "Thank you, ma'am."

"Don't thank me yet. I'm assigning you the weirdest case we've come across to date."

"Seriously? There's a cat involved?"

"Among other things," she replied, her eyes twinkling with mirth. "Alright, listen up, mate. Here's the gist of it."

From his office, Superintendent Hastings watched with a slight smile as Kate and Steve got their heads close together in deep discussion. His best team was now complete.

**THE END**

**Stay tuned for more LOD stories. Later, guys. **

"**I was missing the glamour." – DS Steve Arnott.**

**.**

*** ****ABBREVIATIONS****:**

**AC - Anti Corruption**

**CPS - Crown Prosecution Service**

**DCI - Detective Chief Inspector**

**DI - Detective Inspector**


End file.
